Fifth Periodical Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in Scotland
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NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL AGENDXZEtvrhJo A* I REPORT To: THE COUNCIL Subject: FIFTH PERIODICAL REVIEW OF 1 1 PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES IN SCOTLAND From: DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION I Date: 26 June 2003 1 Ref: JAFllL I 1. Purpose of Report 1.1 The report advises the Council of the issue, by the Boundary Commission for Scotland, of revised recommendations for parliamentary constituencies in East Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire Council areas. 2. Background 2.1 The Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 14 February 2002, noted that the Boundary Commission for Scotland had initiated the fifth periodical review of parliamentary constituencies. The Committee then noted, also, the proposed recommendations by the Boundary Commission and agreed that a formal objection be lodged against those recommendations on the basis that the proposals recommended by the Boundary Commission would result in the division of long established communities to achieve the reduction in the number of MPs without adequate consideration having been given to the adverse effects on local communities, thereby unnecessarily breaking local ties. The Committee agreed, also, that the Council require a local inquiry to examine these proposals and alternatives. 2.2 At its meeting on 27 August 2002 the Policy and Resources Committee noted that a local inquiry was to be held in Kirkintilloch Town Hall on 2 and 3 September 2002 and agreed (1) that the proposals detailed in the Appendix to this report be adopted on behalf of the Council and submitted to the public inquiry; (2) that the Council be represented at the inquiry; and (3) that Councillor Ross, Vice-Convener of the Committee, be authorised to give evidence on behalf of the Council. 2.3 In accordance with that decision the Council were represented and made submissions to the public inquiry. The Assistant Commissioner, Sheriff Principal Mclnnes, having considered those and the other submissions made, has now issued his report on the public inquiry. A copy of that report and of the full transcript of the inquiry together with the relevant maps is available for public inspection at the Civic Centre, Motherwell and at the following other locations in North Lanarkshire Airdrie Library, Wellwynd, Airdrie . Shotts Library, Benhar Road, Shotts . Coatbridge Library, Academy Street, Coatbridge . Moodiesburn Library, Glenmanor Avenue, Moodiesburn . Cumbernauld Library, 8 Allander Walk, Cumbernauld 5th Rvw Parliamentary Constituencies 2 . Kilsyth Library, Burngreen, Kilsyth . Bellshill Cultural Centre, John Street, Bellshill . Motherwell Library, Hamilton Road, Motherwell . Wishaw Library, Kenilworth Avenue, Wishaw. 3. Revised Boundary Commission Proposals 3.1 The revised Boundary Commission proposals involve the division of the areas of North Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire Councils into five parliamentary constituencies as follows:- Airdrie and Shotts - comprising North Lanarkshire Council electoral wards Nos. 16, 17, 18, 20, 27, 29, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50,51 and 52 Coatbridge and Chryston and Bellshill - comprising North Lanarkshire Council electoral wards Nos. 21, 22, 23, 24, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 67,68,69 and 70 Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East - comprising North Lanarkshire Council electoral wards Nos. 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 and 66 and East Dunbartonshire Council electoral wards Nos. 11, 12, 13, 17 and 18. Mot herwe I I and Wish aw - comprising North Lanarkshire Council electoral wards Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 25, 26 and 28. The proposal for the fifth constituency - East Dunbartonshire - relates solely to the area of East Dunbartonshire Council. 4. Consultation 4.1 In terms of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, where the Boundary Commission revise proposed recommendations, they require to publish a notice stating . the effect of the revised recommendations and . that representations may be made to the Commission within one month after the publication of the notice. That notice was published today. It is, accordingly, open to the Council to submit, on or before 25 July 2003, representations with regard to the revised recommendations. 5. Consideration 5.1 The revised Boundary Commission proposals reflect the recommendations made by the Assistant Commissioner but do not accord with the submissions approved by North Lanarkshire Council. 5th Rvw Parliamentary Constituencies 3 5.2 In formulating those recommendations, the Assistant Commissioner stated “The counter proposals of ... North Lanarkshire Council were to the effect that the three local authority areas of East Dunbartonshire and North and South Lanarkshire should be treated as one area for the purpose of determining the boundaries of the eight constituencies which these three council areas, taken together, would justify. These three council areas have a combined electorate of 571,848. If there were to be eight seats in that area the average electorate would be 71,481 (about 2.2% above quota). These counter proposals, which were first advanced at a relatively late stage, were not to any material extent the subject of public consultation. One of these eight proposed constituencies, Hamilton and Bellshill, is partly in North Lanarkshire and partly in South Lanarkshire. Otherwise the proposed constituencies fall within the boundaries of East Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire Council areas. This inquiry did not have before it either the Boundary Commission’s recommendations in relation to South Lanarkshire or any counter proposals which may have been made in relation to the recommendations for that or any adjacent council areas. I am however aware that the Boundary Commission have made markedly different recommendations for constituencies within South Lanarkshire and beyond and that the southern part of South Lanarkshire is included in the proposed constituency of Peebles, Clydesdale and Annandale. As a result I am unable to report as fully as I would have liked on the merits of the counter proposals advanced by . North Lanarkshire Council”. 5.3 The Assistant Commissioner further stated “I have given careful consideration to the counter proposals put forward by ... North Lanarkshire Council to the effect that the three council areas of East Dunbartonshire and North and South Lanarkshire should be regarded as one area for the purpose of determining the number of parliamentary constituencies in these areas. That is a very different approach to that of the Commission and is bound to result in different constituency boundaries. The Commission’s approach has its own logic. Its recommendations are well thought through. But, if the counter proposals by ... North Lanarkshire Council are accepted in principle, they appear to work out reasonably well, for the most part, within the areas with which this inquiry was concerned. These counter proposals have the merit that the average electorate in these areas is closer in these seats to the electoral quota than is the case with the Commission’s proposals. However the electorate in the individual constituencies proposed is in some cases well above that quota. Three of the proposed seats would have electorates in excess of 75,000. The largest has 76,777 (9.8% above quota). Although I am not aware of the details of the Commission’s proposals for South Lanarkshire and beyond, I suspect that these counter proposals may cause difficulties forming satisfactory constituencies, possibly as far south as the English border. I note that these counter proposals do not appear to be supported by South Lanarkshire Council. There was little evidence of support for them at this inquiry from South Lanarkshire, apart from the impressive evidence from the Rt. Hon. Dr. John Reid MP and Michael McMahon MSP in relation to Hamilton and Bellshill, the area for which they are respectively the local members. If the conclusion of the inquiry into the Commission’s recommendations for South Lanarkshire is that the counter proposals are to be preferred in that council area to the recommendations of the Commission, it has to be said that the counter proposals, insofar as they relate to East Dunbartonshire and North Lanarkshire, are a broadly acceptable solution to the definition, within these two council areas, of the possible constituency boundaries”. 5th Rvw Parliamentary Constituencies 4 5.4 Having regard to those statements it is open to the Council to make further representations requesting that there be public consultation on the proposals submitted by North Lanarkshire Council and that these proposals be considered at a public inquiry covering proposals for, inter alia, the whole area of East Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Councils. 6. Recommendation 6.1 It is recommended that the Council (a) note the position and (b) delegate authority to the Chief Executive, after consultation with the Leader of the Council, to determine if further representations should be made and, if so, to lodge on behalf of the Council representations with regard to the revised proposals advanced by the Boundary Commission. flector of Administration L/ Members seeking further information on the contents of this report are asked to contact John Fleming, Head of Central Services on Extension 2228. 5th RW Parliamentary Constituencies APPENDIX Hamilton & Bellshill South Lanarkshire Wards: 37, Hamilton CentrelNorth, 38. Whitehill, 39. Bothwell South, 40. Uddingston SouthlBothwell, 41 , Uddingston, 44. WellhalllEarnock,